Lightning Lad
History Origin Lightning Lad aka Garth Ranzz was born on the planet Winath with his twin, Ayla Ranzz. Although he was introverted, Ranzz excelled in sports and was hailed as the Ranzz' prodigal son. This often brought out jealousy in his older brother, Mekt Ranzz. While the three children were out in space on a joyride, they were forced to land. Mekt Ranzz chose Korbal in order to use the local wildlife to recharge their ship. The Lightning Beasts surrounded them and attacked. While Mekt and Garth survived with electrical super powers, Ayla was phased into a state of pure energy. Garth also received a scar on his face that charges when he activates his ability. In the Beginning Ranzz travelled to Earth in search of his brother and met Rokk Krinn and Imra Ardeen on the way. Together, they saved the life of R.J. Brande. The four founded the Legion of Superheroes. Ranzz took the codename, Lightning Lad. During this time, he suffered a reoccurring nightmare about Ayla's disappearance. Lightning Lad always proved to be a source of contention among the Legion. He frequently clashed with Cosmic Boy over decisions. Man of Tomorrow As a Legionnaire, Garth faced some of the toughest criminals in the galaxy such as the Fatal Five. With a compliment of Legionnaires, Garth and the others were able to defeat the Fatal Five, but they soon escaped from their prison on Takron-Galtos and came to Earth looking for revenge. The Legion's resident genius Brainiac 5 theorized that the only way to save their future was by looking to the past. Three Legionnaires travelled back in time to the 21st century to enlist the aid of famed hero Superman at a point in time when he had only recently developed his super-abilities. When they brought Superman back to the 31st century, Garth was the first to voice his disapproval, believing Clark Kent to be nothing more than a "nerd" and a geek". With proper coaching from Lightning Lad however, young Superman proved to be a valuable asset to the team and they were able to successfully defeat the Fatal Five. Champions Shortly thereafter, Garth had a bitter sweet reunion with his brother Mekt. Mekt's guilt over the loss of their sister poisoned him emotionally, and he became a bitter and competitive rival to Garth. They met each other at the 343rd Intergalactic Games on Olympus 12. Mekt sparked a rivalry between the two at the games and tried unsuccessfully to sabotage Garth's chances at winning the hang surfing competition. The two also competed in a five-hundred meter dash across a river of molten lava. Once again, Mekt tried to tip the odds in his favor by setting off various explosives and sand traps. One of his traps endangered the lives of another contestant, and Garth was forced to forfeit his chance at winning the race by going back and helping them.Unsatisfied, Mekt further plotted to upstage his brother by conspiring with the villainous members of the Fatal Five during the Intergalactic Games awards ceremony. Mekt activated a remote control that lowered the force field surrounding the podium, enabling the Fatal Five to attack. Garth and the other Legionnaires fought with the Fatal Five and ultimately proved victorious. Lightning Storm Garth soon grew unsatisfied with the Legion's accomplishments, particularly in light of the success record of the flashier, stylistic team known as the Light Speed Vanguard. Garth discovered that Mekt had become a member of this seemingly august group and offered Garth a place on their team. Mekt's taunting ultimately paid off and Garth quit the Legion of Super-Heroes. Soon enough however, Garth regretted the decision. When he discovered that the Vanguard only offered their services to those willing to pay them, he grew concerned. Complicating the matter was the fact that those who failed to pay the Vanguard often found themselves the victims of violence. This was enough to convince Garth to resign his membership, and Mekt and he squared off once again. While the rest of the Vanguard fought with the Legion, Mekt concentrated his energy on Lightning Lad. He managed to gain the upper hand on Garth, but let him be at the last moment, allowing him the chance to wallow in his defeat. Chained Lightning Some two years later, Garth and the other Legionnaires found themselves in the middle of a bitter struggle against the forces of Imperiex and his allies in the Dominators. It was during this time that Garth also began suffering from haunting visions of his missing sister Ayla Ranzz. The Legion learned that Imperiex was constructing a tachyon cannon inside of an electrical cloud and that Mekt Ranzz was now working for Imperiex. They flew to the nebula to stop the construction of the cannon and Mekt and Garth clashed once again. The two were evenly matched by this point, so Imperiex decided to tip the odds in Mekt's favor by unleashing a blast of energy that destroyed Lightning Lad's arm. In the midst of conflict, both brothers saw an image of Ayla coalesce in the center of the lightning cloud. They began to suspect that their sister might be lost somewhere within the cloud. Garth returned to Legion headquarters where his ruined arm was replaced with a cybernetic enhancement. After reviewing the matter more closely, he discovered that Ayla had actually been transformed into a being of pure energy. She wasn't merely lost in the electric cloud. She was the cloud. Mekt learned of this and pleaded with Imperiex to help him save his sister, but Imperiex refused. Mekt betrayed Imperiex and opted to help the Legion destroy the tachyon cannon. Brainiac 5 theorized that if they were to recreate the incident that first gave them their powers, then they might be able to reconstitute Ayla's body. The plan worked, and Ayla was reunited with her brothers. Appearance In season 1, Lightning Lad had short hair, with a lightning bolt scar over his right eye that glows when his powers are activated. In season 2, his costume didn't change when he grew older but his hair grew longer and he had a goatee. In the episode "Unchained Lightning", Garth loses his right arm during a battle with his brother when Imperiex attacked. He gained a new robotic arm called the Cybernetic 4000. Personality Lightning Lad is the eager and hot-headed unofficial leader of the team. Prone to fighting first and thinking later, he can come off as brash at first but is usually well intentioned. The lightning bolt scar on his right eye sometimes flashes brightly in times of battle. He is in love with Saturn Girl. In the episode "Chained Lightning", Imperiex destroys his right arm, which he replaces with a bionic arm. He was one of the founding members of the Legion and has a twin sister, Ayla, and an older brother, Mekt. Powers * Electrokinesis: Lightning Lad can absorb electrical energy into his body and re-channel it for offensive purposes. His body functions as a natural insulator, and he cannot be harmed from the effects of his own powers. Garth Ranzz can generate and control fields of electrical energy. He can channel this energy through his hands and project it as a super-heated discharge with properties similar to that of lightning. Unlike true lightning, Garth can manipulate these electric discharges in non-terrestrial environments such as outer space. Although the speed and voltage of his electric discharges has never been measured, it can be assumed that their affects are similar to that of a bolt of lightning. A bolt of lightning can travel at a speed of 100000 mph (160934 km/h), and can reach temperatures approaching 28000 °C (60000 °F), hot enough to fuse soil or sand into glass channels. During the war with Imperiex, Lightning Lad's arm was amputated and replaced with a robotic limb. This appendage increased the magnitude of Lightning Lad's powers many times over and he was able to use it to foil Imperiex's plan, and also save his sister. Equipment * Legion Flight Ring: Like all Legionaries Lightning Lad wears a flight ring. It allows him self propelled flight and protection in the vacuum of space. * Cybernetic 4000: After losing his arm in a battle with Imperiex, Brainiac 5 and Shrinking Violet replaced his arm with the latest cybernetic version. Appearances * Man of Tomorrow * Timber Wolf * Legacy * Fear Factory * Champions * Phantoms * Child's Play * Lightning Storm * Brain Drain * The Substitutes * Chain of Command * Sundown, Pt. 1 * Sundown, Pt. 2 * The Man from the Edge of Tomorrow, Pt. 1 * The Man from the Edge of Tomorrow, Pt. 2 * Chained Lightning * Who Am I? * Message in a Bottle * In the Beginning * In Your Dreams * Dark Victory part 1 * Dark Victory part 2 External links * Lightning Lad article at DC Comics Database, the DC Comics publication Wikia. * Lightning Lad article at Memory Beta, the licensed Star Trek publication Wikia. Category:Legion of Superheroes Category:Heroes Category:Characters Category:Aliens Category:Winathian Category:Mutates Category:Cyborg Category:Male Characters